Future: Humans

Future: Humans holds nothing back as it begins in a fury of scientific fact and unhinged matter of fact attitude. As the documentary moves along, its style of storytelling feels similar to that of the History Channel mini-series Mankind: The Story of All of Us.

The difference being that while that mini-series shows us how humanity has always been similar to what it is today through the years, and has changed largely due to the use of new tools and technology combined with significant historical events (most of which became significant because of the advent and use of modern technologies such as gunpowder, and eventually guns), Future: Humans focuses on evolution, or more to the point conscious evolution, that continues still today.

Conscious evolution may seem like a new age theory but when you examine the facts you may have new questions as far as how in control we've been of our development, even if that control was only gained by coincidence. It is also worth noting that while the focus of this documentary is largely rooted in science as opposed to history, it follows things as linearly as possible, while effectively explaining why everything can't be conveniently explained in a timeline or family tree.

Also worth noting, is the fact that even though this documentary doesn't use history as a way of delving into our differences and establishing our significant similarities, it can't escape the dialogue that says all human beings will always be more similar than different, even in the confides of examining who we are solely through the genome.

The soundtrack to the film is jarring, and the visuals are consistently stimulating. The choice of narration however, is remarkably unstimulating in that the film's producers have obviously decided that the best way to go was with the typical science documentary style narrative voice and tone, free of diversion.

A variety of experts from Nobel Prize winners, to biologist provide their knowledge and opinion while delving into the questions posed in Future: Humans, and the film is surprisingly full of possibility, wonder, and inspiration, while also delivering perspective shaking but widely un-controversial facts of life that may cause discomfort for some just as much as it does inspiration for others. Either way you look at it, this documentary earns its keep when it comes to both entertainment and education value.

I didn't read all the way to the bottom of the page but after getting half way down, I realized how much better the banter is here than on You Tube, despite a few venomous comments. It's good to hear that there are reasonably intelligent people commenting somewhere on the internet.

This is an amateur documentary, and I use the term amateur kindly. Visuals are terrible with random shots of clowns and mud covered faces, and even more terrible sounds (frightening and unsettling for no apparent reason). SO TRUE
There is a picture or video of a skull at least once per minute. whether the train of thought calls for it or not. There are random breaks in narration for long periods of time with eerie music and no content for up to a minute at a time. WASTE of time and bandwidth.

Please read this before watching. If you want to watch something intelligent don't bother.

This is an amateur documentary, and I use the term amateur kindly. Visuals are terrible with random shots of clowns and mud covered faces, and even more terrible sounds (frightening and unsettling for no apparent reason).

As far as the information and the way it goes about showcasing this information is just ridiculous. To illustrate my point just watch the last 5 minutes of the documentary when they are saying (without any scientific backup or actually being relevant to the previous 50 minutes of the documentary) that future humans or beings that might replace us might actually be cooked up in a laboratory somewhere and might even have telekinetic powers. TELEKINETIC POWERS!?! From a documentary about how humans might evolve? Pure and utter nonsense, and I say this in relation to what they were previously talking about for 50 minutes; that being a really badly presented history of human evolution from Homo Habilis to Homo Sapiens.

I would only recommend this as an example of how not to do a documentary.

I just wasted almost an hour of my life, that would have been better spent; even WIKIPEDIA is more informative than this.

i have only this to say: we are not the only intelligent species, nor the only creatures with affect, nor the only who use tools and what we don't know far outweighs what we need to know . As for social intelligence? What other species spends a life time fighting or destroy inconvenient species? The writer is a pompous blind man

Yes, indeed an extremely unintelligent remark, but how typical- we cannot but help see ourselves as Gods. It's called narcissism. It seems to me that the whole cosmos is simply constructed of intelligence and consciousness, infinite inward and outward. Life as we know it is but one more lightening rod for that intelligence and creativity, but we will never grasp the full nature of the whole of which we are a part, not individually or collectively; I don't think that as fragments we were ever meant to. But we can shine just as we are without hearts covetous of the universe's secrets. Maybe that's what makes beauty possible.
Certainly big brains have nothing to do with it. I'd rather be out watching insects than in some boring symposium any day.

serialteg
- 12/31/2014 at 17:57

Of course, it's an opinion, but I do believe there are so many intelligent life forms on this planet... how do you define intelligent? Solving a math problem? Some animals, including but not only humans, do it... Then what? Deciding which entrance of JC Penney to use?

bluetortilla
- 12/31/2014 at 18:17

I think humans often mistake intelligence as a sort of skill. You're not proud of yourself for being able to see, but you have eyes. We don't credit ourselves for having come up with them and plucking them into our skulls. Why isn't seeing a form of intelligence? I think order is evidence of intelligence in any form really.
I think humans usually mistake cunning and deception with intelligence. The law of the jungle is clever game. We appreciate camouflage in animals, the chameleon. Einstein, who we would not probably accuse of either vice but who most of us agree was far more 'intelligent' than average, lived most of his life in a predicament about the state of humans. What does that say?

James
- 01/21/2015 at 09:25

It's not so much the "seeing" that is the human party trick, more, what we "perceive" from the visual information that is absorbed, wouldn't you agree? The film makes the point very strongly that we just "do more with the same (brain) stuff," and that we have more of that "brain stuff" than all other primates. I think the real difficulty with the kind of thinking that this film rather oddly promotes (what is with the jerky footage of that guy in a wig???) is that human intelligence is somehow superior to other survival mechanisms (beaks, long necks, etc) brought about by evolution through natural selection. Its only better because we think it is through our human centric prism. It's better for us.

Kansas Devil
- 12/30/2014 at 15:21

The problem with evolution is, it is such a grindingly slow process. The human brain simply can't evolve fast enough for our wants and needs.

noboty talk about the biological factor of extiction.
biodeversity means life.
no biodiversity no life.
the only reason that life existed for so long was some species are rezilient to some bacterias and viruses.
bacterias and viruses adapt to.
and when it will be only one specie
bacterias and viruses will adapt to consume that specie
and there will be nobody rezilient
and evrybody will go extinct
even bacterias and viruses will eat echeader when they are the only ones left.

From a high of 68,000 active weapons in 1985, as of 2014[update] there are some 4,000 active nuclear warheads and some 16,400 total nuclear warheads in the world. Many of the decommissioned weapons were simply stored or partially dismantled, not destroyed.

TGOBP
- 01/07/2015 at 17:35

I think you'd find a look into Evolution, what we think life did and when, quite interesting. Nobody talks about it like you did, because you have a few things incorrect. Bacteria and Virus' are life forms. For most of the time that life has existed here, it was phages, bacteria and virus's, all relatively simple life forms. The Amoeba, a single celled life form, has a much bigger genome than us humans, interestingly. And yes, they have been battling each other for billions of years already, so your ending is unlikely. We have numerous times been reduced to relatively few species... and every time we bounce back bigger and stronger than last time.
It's more than likely that even a nuclear war would not wipe out all life forms... have a look at extremophiles and where and how they live.
Yes, I agree with you that mono-speciation is not good.

My sincere apologies for using all caps two days ago. I find ads very offensive.
The truth is, there may not be much to even talk about regarding evolution as we know it should our weapons technology lead us into nuclear holocaust and extinction. On the other hand, if we keep polluting our planet on the scale that we are we may end up not only with extremely decimated populations, but also massive plagues and famines so severe that technology may very well experience a breakdown. It is hard to imagine how the biological organisms of the earth with adapt to future pollutants alone, much less how climate change will affect us.
It is pollyannish to posit the choices here, that technology will evolve or biological evolution will continue, all things being equal. The fact is that either a massive global change will occur to arrest the global damage we are experiencing now or our inaction will have affects upon us biologically that we cannot even begin to guess at.
It is my opinion that without a doubt our consumerist societies, behavior and lifestyles- and its global spread- is pushing on this destruction at a mind-numbing pace. Ads and commercials fuel this ecologically destructive behavior and brainwash people into materialistic dissatisfaction. And THAT is why I complain so angrily about our documentaries being infested with ads. It is, as a matter of fact, extremely relative to our human future.

Businesses that place ads here obviously have too much money and are just throwing it at everything. (Disgusting)

bluetortilla
- 12/31/2014 at 17:30

I would hope that Top Documentaries Films would protect us from ads, which as you say, are disgusting. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I watched Bing YouTube videos, they removed the ads.

With Fortitude
- 12/31/2014 at 17:50

I'm not sure about Bing but It's nice to know someone else feels my pain.. I hate the ads and there is no reason for them other than to annoy ! : )

bluetortilla
- 12/31/2014 at 18:21

Sorry- Bing was just an example. DuckDuckGo seems to be ad free too. The point I'm trying to make I guess is that it would be quite easy for TD to keep these horrible ads off the site. I hope they do.
For the record, I boycott watching any video with an ad (except the stupid banners that you click away) and therefore did not watch this video.
But if you want a glimpse at how we're devolving into useless piles of consuming brain-dead blobs, look at ads...if that's our future, we ain't got a future.

With Fortitude
- 12/31/2014 at 19:32

Heck I boycott any story that turns out to be a video instead of an article. I refuse to watch it. Have a happy new year !

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/18/2014 at 18:54

If evolution is right why are still monkey s around ? Did evolution stop working ? Lik if i dint know the answer ! lol !

Are these serious questions? The reason I ask is if they are i fear you lack even a basic understamding of the theory of evolution. If that is the case you are opposing something you clearly do not understand and have not done even a basic search for answers before reaching a conclusion. Sad and scarry thought undeed

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/18/2014 at 21:27

no! just soomething to think about ! As i dont need to search i have found the reason to exist !

over the edge
- 12/18/2014 at 23:01

I am glad you " found the reason to exist" but that in no way excuses an attempt to misrepresent a theory either out of malice or ignorance. You claimed to know the answer to your questions. Care to share it with the rest of us?

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/18/2014 at 23:32

Ask Jesus-Christ to reveal Himself to you. Everybody heard He rose from the dead,so just ask Him if its true , In no way i m beeing malicious or ignorant (you see it this way) Im telling it like it is ! Just Dare ( i ll never know all the answer with my (our) punny brain until i remain in this body,but sure know Who does ! Now you can laugh,scoff,mock ,wathever,ect.......... i dont care , I Know He s Real

over the edge
- 12/18/2014 at 23:42

well that went sideways fast. I was under the impression we were discussing evolution and your lack of knowledge on that subject. To be honest I am not in the mood to discuss your god. Do you wish to discuss the content of your original post. or will you choose to remain ignorant?

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/19/2014 at 00:11

I told you , i chalendge you ,but its your choice . Rely on you theory Keep searching then cause your the ignorant one , A science is based on fact and evidence not a theory. The bible is history fact , my God is Living fact,creation is His andywork. Your theory is just that a theory=dead, your the one still searching not me ! . So who s ignorant ? Yes your closer to beeing over the edge of eternal perdition Adios Amigos.

Achems_Razor
- 12/19/2014 at 00:59

Never ceases to amaze me, no wonder Aliens would not want to visit us, with backward obtuse silly answers such as you give, your invisible god/s must be rolling in their invisible graves!! ROTFLOL!!

BeaverTerror
- 12/19/2014 at 02:17

I wouldn't bother with this religi-tard. His capacity for comprehension likely mirrors the poorness of his writing.

over the edge
- 12/19/2014 at 03:35

Oh the irony. you state " A science is based on fact and evidence not a theory". I started this conversation asking "Are these serious questions?" The only way I see fi to end it is with. Are these serious statements?

Anthony Hobbs
- 12/23/2014 at 05:46

If most Americans or Australians come from Europe, why are there still Europeans?
The evolutionary "tree" works like a VERY, VERY expanded family tree. So by your (complete lack of) logic, all of your cousins should not exist.

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/24/2014 at 01:39

There is a designer ! You blind thats for sure !! You wanna have a kid wath do you do to make it happen ? just ke the engredient mix it and bake it ? or how about a cadillac? you take all the pieces of dynamite and boom tataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa theres youre cadillac ! Scientist are still arguing about the big bang THEORY !! Amn explosion usualy slows down and come to a halt ., but noooooooooooooooooooooo the universe keep expanding and accelarate, they discovered also that the universe is finite, so tell me are they all crazy ?? or they are covering THE TRUTH ! Lioke our goverment loves to do , lie , cheaT , STEAL, KILL SWITHOUT CONSEQUENCE !! ou know every thing that is happenning is prophecied in the bible d in details 100 % accuraccy !! But you ll never get it withoiut faith ! You beleive in a theory and dont bother seeking if they are telling the trtuth ? Where iis your evidence ! Why dont you listen to Kent Hovind , , seee wath they have to say about it !! You know i m not an idiot i m all alone on this planet and i m debt free , got food everyday , play my guitar )my talent) is that from evolution cause i cvame out of some gooooooooooo beside a open bar with frog guitarist ?Hey i could go ahead for ever but you see God as ears a mouth and we have a personnal relationship with Him, so i KNOW HIM and He loves me and takes care of my every need . Now that assurance and a real Loving Father ! Wath do youy rew;y on ? sex , beer , wathever distraction never beeing 100 % certain of if something happens after your body dies? You know that little reminder that comes in your head once in a while ?

omfg
- 01/17/2015 at 22:08

You must be religious or simply didn't pay any atencion to the film.
I quote :" life started with simple life forms like single cell organisms, bacterias and viruses. Eventually more complex versions evolved. But the simple life forms didn't dissapear. Wow we still have bacteria now a days....amazing isn't it
Don't be a gorilla and use that sweet brain nature gave you.

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 01/18/2015 at 17:08

ya everything started by itself !! Like every thing around us . There is a designer . If you think you came out of some goo soup well no wonder you cant answer me with facts , just a s*upid theory tyhat keeps on crumbling !! I could give loads of links, but why bother, your mind is fixed in OFF !! I m far from religious ! religion =invention of men to control and you ve been brainwashed Mr omfg=o my f--ken god p.s. dont bother replying i m truly free from this bondage your in+ plus i dont have a conversation with a no face and false name

lol, that is so wrong. Jesus only appears in the New Testament. His "Dad" is supposed to have created everything in 6 days then took a break.

walterbyrd
- 12/17/2014 at 00:24

But Jesus *is* god.

Fabien L'Amour
- 12/17/2014 at 00:35

Perhaps but he didn't wear his Jesus suit and didn't call himself father back in those days.

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/18/2014 at 18:51

Jesus is symbolised in every book of the old testament =(old alliance) God took human flesh in History in the first 4 books to voluntary give His life as payment for mankind for our so many sins by beleiving in Him and receiving His gift the no human beeing can ever pay,So far histotry proves it ! No He called Himself son of man cause our real us is within so same as for Him in this body. The body rots and dies consequence of sins Romans 3:3 and 10 His body died but He rose (only one so far) but ask Him since He s alive ! debating is easier ! ;)

Fabien L'Amour
- 12/18/2014 at 19:46

I don't want to turn yet another comments section into a religious debate, I just want to make clear that when I wrote "he didn't call himself father", I meant the scriptures where Jesus spoke of his father "God" as if he was a different being than himself. It's pretty obvious to anyone that read Genesis that there is no mention of Jesus whatsoever in there.

Patrick Adrien Varencaus
- 12/18/2014 at 21:31

A carnal mind cannot understand the spiritual mind ! I dont debate I'll try to explain for this last time ! You are a person Body , spirit and soul ! 3 in 1 Different but same ! meditade on that if it did help !?

Fabien L'Amour
- 12/19/2014 at 02:55

Given that soul is a religious term, I'll assume you need faith for any of it to make sense. I have no faith hence I can't comprehend it.

Great. Another idiotic humanistic 'documentary.' When will you idiots, whether religious or secular, realize that life doesn't really have any value other than your own personal preference for it? Not surprising, though. What else do you expect from narcissists?

That comment was intrinsically mindless of, any empathetic connection to the psychosocial motivation that drives mankind to perform in positive and constructive ways. So as to benefit his own race. Furthermore contribute to its healthy & prosperous continuation.

If life has a zero sum of value then, why do we (humanity) have universally agreed upon laws & rights that protect it?

Sounds like you zee788 are the one exhibiting the narcissistic traits my friend: Non-empathetic, reiteration of accusations, racism, scapegoating / deflection, projection...

zee788
- 12/13/2014 at 22:37

First, back up your idiotic assertion of 'racism.' Where the hell that came from I have no idea.

Second, 'non empathetic' does not equal narcissism. I do not have much empathy for others and do not hold others' values and desires to have much value. That does not mean therefore I think whatever I want or desire is valuable aka narcissism. Please learn to define words correctly.

Third: "If life has a zero sum of value then, why do we (humanity) have universally agreed upon laws & rights that protect it?"

There are not 'unversally agreed upon laws' in the world. Because a majority of people agree to something doesn't make it 'universally agreed.' And even if there were, what does that prove? It proves that evolution and natural selection selected for creatures that generally hold a certain set of desires and come up with a certain set of social constructs, including 'morality.' That does not mean any of these are justified or true.

~Oliver B Koslik Esq
- 12/14/2014 at 02:19

1st: Racism: Opposed to (or in this sense belittling constituents of) "religion or secular beliefs". Personally I'm not religious but the notion was that you have no tolerance for people of such beliefs.

2nd: Your right. Empathetic deficiencies are found in many many personality disorders. APD, BPD, NPD, OCD, psychopathy, aspergers... Etc. So really it could be anyone or combination of said disorders that, has caused such malicious condemnation, in your commentation.

3rd: Logic, reason and rational are all based upon our physical interaction & scientific interpretation of the living world around us. When we state something as empirically null (the value of life), we must give explanation and example to support such a theory, in order for it to become fact. You have not done this.

Although I have enjoyed your responding to your comments. You have been a formidable challenge good sir, thanks!

Fabien L'Amour
- 12/14/2014 at 14:29

He doesn't have to have a mental disorder to imply there is no relevance or intrinsic value to life. It's actually a philosophical doctrine called nihilism.

Hortense
- 12/14/2014 at 17:05

His hubris defines him.

Whether or not it's a 'disorder', it is sociopathological to qualify, (or rather disqualify) each and every viewer of this presentation, based on this amount of data.

Life's value is to the species as a whole, not one's self. The tendency toward individualism is a mechanism of natural selection.

~Oliver B Koslik Esq
- 12/15/2014 at 01:36

lol!
best rebuttal ever...
I stand superseded.
many lolz!
+1

Fabien L'Amour
- 12/15/2014 at 20:46

I am unsure his comment was intended at the viewers. I thought his comment was intended at the authors and participants in the documentary. If his commentary was indeed targeted at each and every viewer, I agree with your sociopathology diagnosis.

Hortense
- 12/15/2014 at 21:59

Ok, I'll give you that.

I'll go a little further by saying that narcissism is an instinct that we all share, ...at different levels. The belief in one's superiority is elemental to survival.

However, Mr. Zee did go on to attack Mr. Koslick's comment, using the same slur.

Nihilism purports that life has no 'meaning'. Mr. Zee holds the position that life has no 'value' (beyond one's hedonistic pursuits), a big difference.

I've never understood the need to attach meaning to life, but our worth to the collective is invaluable. I don't think we'd have gotten far as a species if Mr. Zee's position was a dominant one.

Fabien L'Amour
- 12/15/2014 at 23:07

I thought his attack was on moral values since he decided it was necessary to include the religious and secular adjectives. But It's not very clear, I could be wrong in my interpretation.

I agree that each member of a specie indeed has value even if only to try a new genetic combination.

Hortense
- 12/15/2014 at 23:51

I suspect that most of us are among the unwashed.

LoggerheadShrike
- 12/14/2014 at 19:58

By definition, relevance is always subjective. It would be redundant to claim something only has subjective relevance, because there is no other kind of relevance.

deliaruhe
- 12/15/2014 at 16:13

Strange, given that your extremist individualism is a superb example of narcissism.

zee788
- 02/10/2015 at 01:23

How exactly is what I said narcissism? Nothing I said in my comment meets the definition of narcissism. People cannot define simple words these days it seems.